Slub catcher for beam warpers



c. H. MOODY 2,017,349

SLUB CATCHER FOR BEAM WARPERS @et R5, w35.

Filed May 29, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY ww ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 15, 1935 Unire stares PATENT oFFIcE 13 Claims.

My invention relates to slub or gout catchers for beam warpers and the like, wherein a multiplicity of strands of yarn are fed from yarn carriers and collected, under control of automatic machinery upon warper beams or the like.

The processes by which yarn is at present manufactured result in the yarn being formed with enlargements that are known as slubs or gouts which result from imperfections in the draft which cause the fibers to be hunched up at times andvform these enlargements on the lt is a matter of material importance that the presence of these slubs should not only be detected but that they should be prevented from entering into the yarn on the warper beam as they will cause loom stoppage unless they are removed at the warper. To this end I have devised a simple and eiective means by which any strand of yarn having a slub will be checked and broken so that the automatic action of the warper machine will stop the motion or" all strands until the imperfect section of the broken strand of yarn bearing the slub has been broken out and the strand retied, whereupon the warper action can be resumed. Thus I make provision for the removal of such imperfections before the yarn reaches the looms or iinishing machinery.

One object of my invention is to design a slub catching or arresting attachment for beam warpers and the like, which 'is comparatively inexpensive, reliable in its operation, and so designed that the beam warper operator can manipulate it with ease in tying up the ends or" the broken yarn.

My object is to provide upper and lower catcher means which present closely associated straight edges between which a multiplicity of yarn strands pass so that any abnormal enlargement will be arrested to cause the breakage of the yarn bearing it and the stoppage oi the warping operation, suitable means being provided whereby the catcher elements are freely separable to facilitate the tying of the broken yarn and the starting up .of the warper.

Another object of my invention is to subdivide the movable slub catcher element into a plurality of independent sections, each to be light and capable of ready manipulation by the operator and all provided with means whereby they can be brought to a common predetermined adjustment in the slub catcher so maintained accurately.

My invention further contemplates providing a lower catcher element with a plurality of spaced standards, preferably adjustable, by which the upper catcher means are supported so as to provide a straight edge coacting with and juxtaposed to the lower catcher element. These standards are designed to present a minimum of interference to the group of yarn strands between which they are interposed, and my invention contemplates that adjustments may be had for the 5 catcher by means or" these standards or by the mounting of the upper catcher sections on the standards, or by the combined action of both such adjustments.

My invention further contemplates so assembling the upper slub catcher sections that they are capable oi free limited vertical movement in respect ci their supporting standards but are not removable therefrom without dismounting the standards. 15

My invention further contemplates forming the upper slub sectional catcher element With a handle member adjustably connected thereto by studs, bolts or the like.

My invention further contemplates notching 20 the ends of each upper catcher section so that it Y' will straddle its respective standards as guides while its handle portion rests on said standards so as to be supported therefrom in operative position.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter more particularly described and 30 claimed.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a conventional beam warper showing my appliance in operative position thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental view showing the catcher with one complete and one fragmental upper section.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2. 40 Fig. 4 is a fragmental view showing a modified arrangement for adjustably mounting the standards that support the upper slub catcher members.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken V-V of Fig. Li.

Fig. 6 is' a further modication in which the lower catcher member is adjustable to regulate Athe yarn clearance. 50

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional View taken on the j; line VII-VII oi Fig. 6.

Fig, 8 is a detail view in front elevation on a reduced scale showing the complete slub catcher attachment.

on the line f5 Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, I have shown the slub catcher associated with a beam warper, which is typical of any machine wherein a multiplicity of strands of yarn, thread or the like, pass to a receiving element and in which it is desirable to prevent yarn, defective by reason of the presence of slubs, gouts, or enlargements, being applied on the yarn receivers.

As illustrated, the warper comprises a frame 5 equipped with suitable journals, not shown, for a warp beam 6, onto which the strands of yarn are to be wound after same have passed through the various standard warper appliances such as the guide comb 8, the rolls 9 and ID, the stop motion |I, the reed I2, and the guide roller I3. All of these parts are merely typical of a standard beam warper and form no part of my present invention. Preferably, between the rolls 9 and I 0, I mount the slub catcher mechanism, generally designated by the numeral I4, which forms the subject matter of my present invention.

My mechanism in its preferred form shown in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a continuous base rail |5 which as shown is hexagonal, but its design is not important so long as it presents a smooth straight edge to the advancing strands of'yarn, as is indicated clearly in Fig. 5. I show this bottom rail I5 as bolted vto mounting blocks I6 on the ends of frame 5, and ordinarily being between 5 and 6 feet long and supported only at its ends, it should be sufficiently rigid to preserve a straight level edge all the way across.

At suitable intervals along the top center of this rail I5 I mount a series of standards, similar to stud bolts, having cylindrical bodies I1, bolt heads I8, and lower reduced threaded ends which screw into the rail. These standards are equidistantly arranged and preferably nine are provided so that the top sectional rail will comprise eight units, as indicated in Fig. 8, but this number may be varied.

Each section of the top rail is alike and a description of one will apply to all. Each comprises a rail section 20 with its ends grooved so as to straddle and be guided by the standards. The grooves are so cut that the rail sections will Y not bind tightly between adjacent standards but can be cocked, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2,

or can be moved freely vertically. I prefer that the heads on the standards should prevent the casual removal of the interposed rail sections 20.

The catcher should provide for the ready separation of its rail members and an accurate adjustment of their working clearance. This may be attained in various ways and I do not wish to be limited to any one but I have found the upper rail to be the one more easily handled and if it be subdivided into sections only light parts require manipulation. As shown in Fig. 2 each rail section 29 carries near each end an upright pin 2| having its upper end threaded to receive a lock nut 22, a wing jamb nut 23, and an interposed handle bar 24 which overhangs beyond the pins suiiciently to engage the head on adjacent standards. By adjusting the nuts 22 and 23 each rail 2|)v can be supported by its handle on the standards with the desired clearance between its straight bottom edge and the straight top edge of the under-rail 5..

Preferably the upper railsections 20 are square in cross section having substantially the width of the flat top face of the lower rail. vThe yarn is spread only slightly to pass the standards I1 being 'its ends again tied.

otherwise undisturbed in its travel to the warp beam unless a strand thereof happens to carry a slub or gout 25, such as is indicated. in Fig. 5. Such a gout will not pass between the rails I5 and 20 and thus the yarn strand carrying it will 5 be broken and the warp beam automatically stopped, whereupon the warper hand will break off the end carrying the gout, will lift the appropriate rail section 2i) suflciently to draw the broken end of the yarn under it and tie it with 10 the forward end of the yarn whereupon the warper can be started again in operation. By easing or tightening the nuts 22 and 23 on each pin the clearance between the upper and lower rail members can be accurately adjusted and posi- `tively maintained and any wear or Slight displacement resulting at either end of a movable rail can be independently compensated.

The arrangement above described provides only for an independent adjustment of the sectional rails.` In Fig. 4 I show a different method oi adjustment. Here the lower rail is provided with counter-bored recesses 2S which receive the cylindrical body portion II of the standards with a snug sliding t. The lower or reduced end oi the counter-bored hole only is threaded and the lower threaded end 21 of the standard is extended so as to project below the rail I5 there to receive a jamb nut 23. This arrangement enables the standard itself to be adjusted and permits a joint adjustment of the adjacent ends of two top rail sections to be accomplished with a single operation. Some wear may be compensated for adjustment ofthe nuts 29 and 35 which connect the handles to the rails 2B. I thus make 35 provision for a double adjustment, one which is multiple in respect of adjacent rail sections and the other of which is individual to each rail section. This permits a very accurate and refined adjustment of the rails to be maintained.

In Figs. 6 and '7 a further modification is shown in which the lower rail comprises a rectangular bar 3| adapted to be slidably received in a U- guide base 32 which is mounted on the frame and carries bottom adjusting screws 33, of which three will be sufficient, which, by engaging under the bar 3|, enable the lower rail as a whole to be adjusted vertically toward the upper rail sections 20. These latter may also be adjusted because their standards I1 pass loosely through the 50 bar 3| and are screw mounted in the base of the guide 32. The rail sections 20 may have the same adjustable mounting as described in connection with Fig. 2. Thus either or both rails may be adjusted andeither may be made freely movable 55 to open the yarn clearance for tying the broken yarn.

It will be noted that the ends of the sectional rails 2G almost surround the standards that they A engage so as to present toward the approaching yarn almost a continuous upper straight edge thereby to avoid injury to the yarn.

.In operation, having mounted the slub catcher in suitable position on the beam warper frame and passed the yarn strands I between the upper and lower rails |5 and 29, if the latter elements are adjusted with the proper close clearance they will present straight substantially continuous sharp edges between which all the yarn strands must move towards the loom beam and any slubs 7o or abnormal enlargements on a yarn strand will be caught by these straight edges and that strand broken, thus stopping the machine until the defective. part of the yarn has been removed and The voperator can handle the individual upper rail sections with ease in carrying out the normal operations of tying and manipulating the yarn and these sections when released will drop back guided by the strands to accurate position without requiring attention on the part of the operator as they will slide down the standard bodies until stopped by the engagement of their handles on the top of the standards. The whole device is thus very simple of assemblage, easy of manipulation and elective for the purposes intended.

While I have only shown my invention inseveral forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modiiications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim iszl. A device of the character described, coml prising a lower rail presenting a sharp straight edge corner to the approaching yarn, standards screwed into said lower rail and adapted to be interposed between the strands of yarn, and upper movable catcher members having means to support them in adjustable relationship to said lower rail, said upper members being grooved at their ends to partly surroiuid and be guided by said standards in their vertical movements.

2. A gout or slub catcher for beam warpers comprising a rigid bottom straight edge bar over which the yarn strands pass, a plurality of independently and freely movable upper bars which cooperate with the lower bar to arrest slubs or gouts on the yarn, handles on said movable bars,

and adjustable standards carried by the lower bar which support the upper bars by their handles.

3. A warper attachment for arresting slubs orgouts comprising a continuous rigid lower bar over which a multiplicity of yarn strands pass, a pliu'ality of upright supports carried by said lower bar, and a plurality of upper bars having handles and stops which overhang and engage said supports to freely mount the upper bars in cooperative relation with the lower bar so that they will stop the passage of slubs or gouts on the interposed yarn strands.

4. A device according to claim 3, in which the bottom bar comprises means for vertically adjusting it as a whole independently of the upper bars. v

5. A device according to claim 3, in which the lower bar is adjustable as a whole and the upper bars are independently adjustable relative to their respective supporting standards.

6. A beam warper attachment comprising a continuous lower bar having a straight upper edge over which the yarn strands pass, a plurality of standards mounted in said lower bar, a plurality of upper elements collectively presenting an upper sectional straight edge between which and the lower bar the yaln strands pass, handles on said upper elements and stops to support them in working position from said standards free to be upwardly displaced, and means to guide the upward movement of said upper elements by engagement with said standards.

7. A device of the character described, com- 5 prising upperand lower straight edge catcher rails arranged to provide a continuous restricted clearance for a plurality of yarn strands to pass between them, supports on which one rail rests freely and guides between which the free upper rail is movable for ready separation from the other rail incidental to the retying of a broken yarn strand.

8. A device of the character described, comprising upper and lower catcher rails between which a plurality of yarn strands pass, adjustable means on which one of said rails rests in predetermined spaced relationship to the other and free for ready separation therefrom incidental to the retying of a broken yarn strand V and means to guide the return of the movable rail to its working position.

9. In a slub catcher for beam warpers, a lower rigid rail over which the whole group of yarn strands pass, a plurality of spaced standards rising between and projecting above the yarn strands, and upper vertically movable rail sections guided and adjustably supported by pairs of said standards,

10. A device of the character described, comprising a lower rigid rail over which the yarn strands pass, a plurality of spaced standards vertically adjustably mounted in the lower rail, and upper vertically movable rail sections guided and adjustably supported by said standards.

11. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a lower straight edge element adapted for a plurality of yarn strands to pass thereover to a warp beam, an upper sectional straight edge element under which groups of said yarn strands pass, and supports for the upper straight edge sections which separate the yarn strands into groups and which comprise means which so engage the upper sections that each is capable 0f free displacement relative to the lower ele- 45 ment for the purposes described.

12. An apparatus of the character described; comprising a lower continuous straight edge element over which the yarn strands pass, an upper substantially continuous sectional straight edge element under each section of which a group of said yarn strands pass, and adjustable supports on which the upper sectional straight edge elements set free for independent displacement relative to said lower element.

13. In a device of the character described, upper and lower catcher rails between which a plurality of yarn strands pass, means to mount said rails in a manner to provide for relative adjustment according to the yarn clearance desired while leaving the upper rail free of any rigid connections that would prevent its being freely and quickly lifted to give access to the underlying yarn strands for retying same, and v means to guide the return of the upper rail to working relationship with the lower rail.

CHARLES H. MOODY. 

